Air-escape for radiators



(No Model.)

D. W. DODSODL A1B. ESCAPE FOR RADIATORS.

No. 463,291. Pateted Nov. 17,1891.

Jul 2;

| )l 1 .my /O Mn/888661;

6 K Inventor,

By his Jttorney UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

DARIEN WV. DODSON, OF \VILKESBARR, PENNSYLVANIA.

AIR-ESCAPE A.FOR RADIATORS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 463,291, dated November 17, 1891.

4 Application tiled December 11, 1890. Serial No. 374,270. (No model.)

.To all whom vit may concern:

Be it known that I, DARIEN W. DODSON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Hikes-Barr, in the county of Luzerne and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Air-Escapes for Radiators, of which the following is a specification.

This invention of an air-escape, when applied to radiators and other steam apparatus and the valve is opened, permits the air to escape from said apparatus and then automatically shuts the valve by the water or condensation of steam immediately following the outgoing air.

In the drawings accompanying and forming a part of this specification, Figure lis a front elevationrof an airescape embodying my improvements. Fig. 2 is a similar view of the same, showing the cover or front plate removed, the valve being open. Fig. 3 is a view similar to the last, but showing the valve closed. Fig. 4 is a vertical longitudinal section through the apparatus. Fig. 5 is a similar horizontal section above the' drip-collecting troughs. Fig. 6 is a View of the inner side of the front plate. Figs. 7 and 8 show and illustrate the operation of the device for closing the valve by hand.

Similar characters designate like all the figures.

The object of my improvement is to provide .for the escape of air or other non-condensable gases and to close the exit within a brief period of time after water or steam shall follow the outgoing gases. directing the water (or the iuid of condensation when steam iows out) into a bucket operating to close the valve which was previously opened (by hand or otherwise) to permit the air to escape. The accumulation of water acts by its own weight to overbalance another weight and carries the same past the dead-center, when the weight by falling performs the work of closingV the valve, and this it does with a force due to the momentum parts in of the weight, at the same time carrying down the bucket and emptying the same.

The casing of my improved apparatus con- This is done by form of a hollow cylinder that may comprise the back plate 2, the shell 3, and the front plate 4. The said parts 2 and 3 I prefer to form integral and to attach the front plate `by means of screws 5, which pass through holes 6 in said plate 4 and enter the holes 7, Figs. 2 and 3, in the flanges 8 and 9, that are formed'on the shell 3. Other plate-fastening devices may, however, be substituted for said screws. The air and steam coming from the radiator enter at 10 through the hole ll of the valve-body 12, and passing the valve-seat at 13, escape through the opening or port la into the interior of the casing. The valvebody 12 is or maybe affixed to and in the casing by screws 15. The forward part 16 of said body4 is iitted to receive the threaded stem 17 of the valve 18. The said valve has a head 19, to which is connected the lever or arm 20, that carries at its upper end the weight 21 and at its lower end the bucket 22. The valve-actuating lever 2O is (or may be) placed in a slot 23, formed in the head 19 and journaled on a small pivot-screw 24, inserted in said head. XVhen the lever is swung, as

in Fig. 2, to open the valve, the lever strikes against the stop shoulder or edge'25, and when swung to close the valve, as in Fig. 3, rests against the opposite edge 2G. Thus the lever has a greater range of motion than the Y valve.

. For operating the valve by hand to open the same I provide a knob or wheel 28, which has-a stem 29 journaled in the front plate v and provided with an arm SO, whose bended point 31 engages with said lever 2O when the handle 28 is properly turned, as indicated byV A spring 33 serves to the arrow in Fig. U. retract said arm 30, the movement thereof being limited by the stop By this means the said lever, together with its weight and bucket, is shifted from the position showin inv ,e

Fig. 3 to that shown in Fig. 2.-

tion the bucket stands underneath the'spouttf 34 of the drip-collecting trough 35 and ref; The steam en.

ceives the water therefrom.

tering the casing is condensed on the walls thereof and the water formed above the said trough inds its way to the bucket, as set forth.

In order to utilize a part of the surface of the plate 4 for supplying water of condensa- 5 tion, I provide on said plate a trough 36.

whose spout 37 delivers onto the main trough 35, as best shown in Fig. 5. In practice the steam-jet should be prevented from impinging on the condensing-surface, since this would 1o keep that surface warmer and retard condensation, for which purpose the guard 3S is provided. At the same time any water coming through the port 14 'should be utilized,

and hence the guardmust permit this to tlow 15 down the trough to the bucket. For this purpose the guard is cutaway at the bottom and the escaping jet is directed upward. In

practice, too, the case is externally surfacedy insuchva manner, by vpointing or otherwise, zo as to promote radiation of heat, thereby :in-

creasing condensation and causing the `more,

prompt action of the apparatus.

In some situations-aa for instance, where the pressure of steam is .very low, or where thesize of the apparatus is very `large relatively to the valve-it is not necessary to use therslack-motion connection for attaching the bucket tothe valve-stem; but ordinarily itis desirable to use asmall-sized apparatus, espe- 3o cially in dwellings, and to provide for the use of--steam ot a pressure of severalpounds per square inch, andin thesecases andgenerally I .iind it ynecessary to employsome connection of the-class described, wherebyto closel the valve by impact, and .thus4 to `insure the perfect closure thereof. `Accordingly inthe best form Vot' my invention now known rto me I employ the slack-motion device above described, whereby the val-ve is closed by 4o impact of the weight 2,1,.as set forth, said weight, after being set by hand,.being then started inits `falling movement by the water accumulating in the bucket. The outlet from the' apparatus is bythepipe `or opening 39 lin vthe boss or internal projection 40. This arrangement provides a means for retaining some water at 42 within the case. This water radiates heat through the lower wall or part of the shell 3 and serves 5o to ,promotetasl tlnd by experiment) the condensation of steam within the case. The steam entering the case is slightly superheatedby expansionand absorbs water from the reservoir 42, and thus becoming more saturated is more readily and rapidly condensed inthe space above the troughs. To still further augment the condensing-.power of the casing, I sometimes provide a dome or supplemental chamber 50, connecting bya 6o reduced-opening 52 with the principalchamber. Bythis means there is a less rapid r Uitation and reheating of `.the steam within said,

dome and a corresponding increase of its condensing-,powen It being desirable to keep the size of case small, as demanded by the trade, and also to provide the water-retaining reservoir 42 in the case, the valve is preferably set above the center of the casein about the position shown.

It is sometimes necessary or desirable, when the lever 2O stands as in Fig. 2, to close the valve before the same would close automatically. Forthis purpose I'provide a pushbutton 44, the stem 45 of which slides in a hole through the front plate 4, (being retracted by spring 46,) as will be understood from Figs. 7 and 8, The inner end of said stem has an incline or Wedge 47, which, when the stem is pushed inwardly as in Fig. 8, strikes against thelever 2O and drives the same away from its position in Figs. 2 and 7 toward the position in Figs. 3 and 8, the movement started by the wedge being completed by the weight2l.

The operationof my invention will nowbe understood nfrom the drawings and '.the ,preceding description. vOrdinarily while the radiator or other apparatus to which the air-.es-

`cape is attached .is'in use the valvestands closed, the lever 2O standing as in Fig. 3. .It being desired to permit the airto escape,'the attendant turns the knob 28, and thereby swings the said lever to its position inFig. 2. The air then rushespast the said valve and escapes by Way of the outlet-pipe 39. When the steam arrives, it fills the .interior 4of the casing and'is condensed uponthe walls thereof. .The water ot condensation v.is some ofit collected bythe troughsand conveyed thereby into the bncket-2'2 until the increasing weight of this bucket and water overloalances the Weight 21 and swings .the leveren l,its pivot V24 against .the stop'l2`6, when'the weight turns the'valve to close the same.

I-Iaving thus Adescribed my invention, -I claim- 1. In an'air-escapathefcombnation of a `casinghavingan interior steam-condensing surface, a drip-collecting wall or tro,ug`h,.an

inlet-valvedelivering into the space above said trough, and a weight-actuated valve constructed to be closed v,by the accumulating water of condensation, all substantially as-described.

2. In an airfescape, the combination of a casing,- a drip-collecting trough, an inlet-valve deliveringinto the space above said trough, said valve .having a screw-stem, alever connected by a slack-motion .joint to operate said valve, anda weight and water-bucket on said valve-lever, the bucket being adapted when loaded with water to inaugurato the falling movement of said weight, all substantiallyas described.

3. In an air-escape, theicombinationlo'f a casing, the inlet-valve, a hand-operatedvalveyopening device, substantially as described,

and agravity valve-closing device, substantially as described, adapted tobeset'in motion by the weight of the fluid `entering .the casing through said valve, all substantially as described.

IOO

4. In an air-escape, the combination of aV casing, the valve, a gravity valve-closing dcvice substantially as described, the hand-operated valve-opener, and the hand-operated valve-closer, substantially as described.

5. In an air-escape, the combination of the casing, the inlet-valve, the trough 35, and the guard 38, substantially as described.

6. In an air-escape, the combination of the valve, the Weighted valve actu ating lever provided with a bucket, and devices, substantially as described, to operate said lever in one direction by hand to open the valve, substantially as described.

7. In an air-escape, the combination of the casing having the front plate, trough 35, and trough 36 on said front plate and delivering onto said trough 35, substantially as described.

8. In an air-escape, the combination, With a casing provided With an escape-valve opening thereinto, of the valve-actuating bucket, the closed dome rising from said casingand communicating with the interior thereof, and

means for delivering the Water of condensation from the dome to the bucket, substantially n,as described.

9. In an air-escape, the combination of the valve-stem having the head provided With a slot to receive the lever 20, and a pivot on which said lever is journaled, the Whole constituting a slack-motion valve-closing device, substantially as described. t

410. In an air-escape, the combination, with the hollow casing inclosing the valve and provided With a reservoir for retaining Water whereby to promote saturation of the steam to be condensed for operating the valve, of the valvo and its actuator inclosed in said casing, the actuator having a bucket substantially as described, and means for co1- lecting the Water of condensation in said bucket, substantially as described.

1l. In an air-escape, the combination of the valve-actuating lever, and the stem 45, 'constructed, substantially as described, to actnate said lever, substantially as described.

12. In an air-escape, the combination, With a casing substantially as described, of the inlet-valve and a Weighted bucket-lever slackmounted on said valve7 substantially as de scribed.

DARIEN IV. DODSON.

IVitnesses:

,DANIEL L. RHONE,

BEN EsPY. 

